Decorative sports themed clothing

ABSTRACT

A decorative sports-themed garment is disclosed. The garment includes a surface of the garment a decorative raised pattern upon the surface configured to appear like stitches on a baseball, the decorative raised pattern configured as an hourglass shape upon the surface of the garment. The hourglass shape includes a first wide section corresponding to a hip portion of the garment, a second wide section corresponding to an arm portion of the garment, and a narrow section corresponding to a midriff portion of the garment. The decorative raised pattern can be on a front or a rear surface of the garment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This disclosure is claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/150,640 filed on Apr. 21, 2015 which is hereby incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure is related to an article of clothing including sportthemed decorative raised structures on the clothing. In particular, thedisclosure is related to apparel with raised stitch patterns formed uponthe apparel to imitate a baseball.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background informationrelated to the present disclosure. Accordingly, such statements are notintended to constitute an admission of prior art.

Many articles of clothing have patterns on them. Patches of cloth can besewn together. Printed materials can be provided through silk-screeningor other methods known in the art. Sport themed clothing is known toprovide images of balls, of balls being thrown, or balls flying throughthe air.

Clothing is known to fit the form of a female. Shirts for females areknown to include an hourglass shape including wider sections at the armsand hips and a narrower section at the midriff.

SUMMARY

A decorative sports-themed garment is disclosed. The garment includes asurface of the garment a decorative raised pattern upon the surfaceconfigured to appear like stitches on a baseball, the decorative raisedpattern configured as an hourglass shape upon the surface of thegarment. The hourglass shape includes a first wide section correspondingto a hip portion of the garment, a second wide section corresponding toan arm portion of the garment, and a narrow section corresponding to amidriff portion of the garment. The decorative raised pattern can be ona front or a rear surface of the garment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments will now be described, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary tee shirt with a pair of arcuate stitchpattern portions sewn to other portions of the shirt including a raisedstitched pattern on each of the arcuate stitch pattern portions, inaccordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates components to the tee shirt of FIG. 1 including afront panel, the two arcuate stitch pattern portions, and sleeveportions, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a first exemplary set of components of the shirt ofFIG. 1 complimenting the components of FIG. 2, presenting two additionalarcuate stitch pattern portions on a back of the shirt, in accordancewith the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a second exemplary set of components of the shirt ofFIG. 1 complimenting the components of FIG. 2 including a plain back ofthe shirt, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary interior of the shirt of FIG. 1,illustrating seams joining an arcuate stitch pattern portion to adjacentpanel portions, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary alternative interior of the shirt ofFIG. 1, illustrating a smooth panel sewn over a back side of an arcuatestitch pattern portion, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 photographically illustrates a first embodiment of a shirtincluding a pair of arcuate stitch pattern portions, in accordance withthe present disclosure;

FIG. 8 photographically illustrates an exemplary interior of a shirt,illustrating seams joining an arcuate stitch pattern portion to adjacentpanel portions, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary alternative interior of a shirt,illustrating a smooth panel sewn over a back side of an arcuate stitchpattern portion, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 photographically illustrates a second embodiment of a shirtincluding a pair of arcuate stitch pattern portions, in accordance withthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary tee shirt with a decorative raisedpattern sewn directly upon the shirt, in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Fans of different sporting events look for ways to be involved incheering for their team and ways of getting into the spirit of the gamewith other fans. Clothing with decorative themes related to sportingevents is popular with consumers.

Methods are known to decorate a shirt or other piece of clothing. Forexample, silkscreen methods are known where a polymer film is depositedupon and adhered to a shirt surface to display a pattern or logo uponthe shirt. Embroidery is known wherein a tight sewing pattern isprovided upon clothing, with the stitches being immediately next to eachother, and the resulting stitch pattern provides a graphic display uponthe article of clothing.

A baseball has a characteristic stitch pattern upon it. Twofigure-eight-shaped leather sleeves are wrapped around a core, and theleather sleeves are stitched together in a characteristic pattern. Thebaseball stitch pattern is frequently created with red thread or thincord such that the stitches are easily visible against the white leatherof the sleeves. Baseball fans readily identify with the baseball stitchpattern.

An article of clothing is disclosed displaying a baseball stitch patternprovided as decorative raised structures on the surface of the clothing.In one exemplary embodiment, a thick cord, similar to an exemplary shoestring or in another example including a decorative lace thread, can bethreaded upon the surface of the clothing to imitate a baseball stitchpattern, the resulting cord pattern upon the garment being raised fromthe surface of the garment. In another exemplary embodiment, anembroidered pattern in exemplary red thread can be provided upon thegarment, the resulting embroidered stitch pattern imitating a baseballstitch and being raised from the surface of the garment. In anotherexemplary embodiment, a polymerized dedicated panel or polymerized insetcan be sewn and connected to other panels of the garment, the dedicatedpanel including a material that can include formed indentations whichresult in raised sections upon the garment. Such exemplary dedicatedpanels could, for example, be constructed of a rubberized polymermaterial molded with a baseball stitch pattern thereupon or aSpandex-type material configured to create a raised pattern upon theSpandex according to methods known in the art. In another embodiment, anadhesive, decorative material known in the art as “puffy paint” could beapplied to the clothing to create the raised stitch pattern on thegarment. A number of cloth and secondary material configurations areenvisioned to create decorative raised structures upon a piece ofclothing to imitate baseball stitches, and the disclosure is notintended to be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed herein.

Baseball stitches could be displayed upon a shirt, dress, leggings,baseball cap, or other piece of clothing according to a number ofdifferent patterns according to the present disclosure. In oneembodiment, a stitch pattern imitating a particular orientation of abaseball can be represented upon a shirt including an hourglass shape inthe stitching, with the hourglass shape being centered upon a front ofthe shirt, with the wider portions of the hourglass shape being near thearms and hip section of the shirt, and with the narrower portion of thehourglass shape being near a midriff portion of the shirt. Sports fanswill recognize such a pattern immediately as imitating a baseball. Sucha shape on a shirt or dress for a female can be configured to correspondto a desired style corresponding to an anatomical shape of a woman'sbody, thereby increasing marketability of the clothing.

Utility is provided enabling enhanced advertising or team logo display,for example, with the name of a famous team or ball manufacturer beingdisplayed upon the front or rear panel of the shirt between therealistic stitch patterns disclosed herein, enhancing the visual affectof the advertising with realistic ball stitching not previouslyavailable. Utility is further provided, providing a shirt in the shapeof a woman's body profile with plain pieces of cloth cut into thecomponent shapes of FIGS. 2-4, whereas form fit single piece or modifiedtube shirts can be more difficult and costly to weave into shape.Utility is further provided by the smooth panel of FIG. 9, permittinguse of a form fitting shirt including exemplary embroidery which couldbe irritating to the body of the wearer, however, with the smooth panelcovering the back of the embroidery pattern and preventing theirritation.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purposeof illustrating certain exemplary embodiments only and not for thepurpose of limiting the same, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary tee shirtwith a pair of arcuate stitch pattern portions sewn to the otherportions of the shirt including a raised stitched pattern on each of thearcuate stitch pattern portions. Shirt 100 is illustrated includingarcuate stitch pattern portions 10 and 12 providing a baseball themeupon the shirt. Shirt 100 is configured for an exemplary female wearer.Arcuate stitch pattern portions 10 and 12 are configured to present anhourglass shape presented upon a front surface of the garment. Thehourglass shape includes a first wide section 18 corresponding to a hipportion of the garment, a second wide section 14 corresponding to an armportion of the garment, and a narrow section 16 corresponding to amidriff portion of the garment. It will be appreciated that theparticular shape of the shirt can change for different sizes of garmentwhile maintaining an hourglass/baseball stitch coordination themeexemplified by shirt 100. While FIG. 1 illustrates the decorativepattern on a front surface of the shirt, it will be appreciated that thepattern can be on a rear surface of the shirt instead.

FIG. 2 illustrates components to the tee shirt of FIG. 1 including afront panel, the two arcuate stitch pattern portions, and sleeveportions. Front panel 20 is illustrated. Two arcuate stitch patternportions 10 and 12 are illustrated configured to be sewn against orjoined with matching arcuate sections 22 and 24 of front panel 20,respectively. First sleeve portion 50 and second sleeve portion 52 areillustrated configured to be joined with arm holes created by joiningthe other components of the shirt. The illustrated sleeve portions areexemplary, and can take the form of any short or long sleeve designknown in the art for use with a woman's shirt. Neck trim piece 60 andarm trim pieces 70 are illustrated configured to be joined with a neckhole and sleeve portions 50 and 52 according to methods known in theart. Each of the illustrated components in the disclosure areillustrated with dotted lines representing extra material portions 5that are needed to create sewn seams joining parts together or hem linesfinishing an edge of the shirt, in accordance with methods known in theart.

Arcuate stitch pattern portions 10 and 12 each include raised stitchpatterns 15. Raised stitch patterns 15 can include embroidered stitches,laces or thick threads, polymerized portions, puffy paint, or any otherstructure known in clothing arts to create a raised stitch pattern on aswatch of cloth. Any color or combination of colors can be used for thestitch patterns.

Material used to create front panel 10, sleeve sections 50 and 52, andany other cloth sections of the shirt can be made from any materialknown in the art, including but not limited to cotton, a polyesterblend, and spandex. Any color or combination of colors can be used forthe cloth sections.

FIG. 3 illustrates a first exemplary set of components of the shirt ofFIG. 1 complimenting the components of FIG. 2, presenting two additionalarcuate stitch pattern portions on a back of the shirt. A back of shirt100 of FIG. 1 can include matching stitch patterns as presented upon afront of shirt 100. Arcuate stitch pattern portions 54 and 56 areillustrated configured to be joined with rear panel 30. Side panels 40are illustrated, configured to be joined to the exposed, inner curvatureof the arcuate stitch pattern portions connected to the front and rearpanels. According to one embodiment as presented by FIGS. 2 and 3, asthe four arcuate stitch pattern portions 50, 52, 54, and 56 are joinedto the front and rear panels, respectively, the arcuate stitch patternportions can each be sewn to the long sides of side panels 40, therebycreating the circumference of a body of shirt 100. In anotherembodiment, side panels 40 need not be rectangular in shape, forexample, including a concave or convex long side pattern, accommodatingalternative fits, sizes, or body shapes for the shirt.

FIG. 4 illustrates a second exemplary set of components of the shirt ofFIG. 1 complimenting the components of FIG. 2 including a plain back ofthe shirt. A back of shirt 100 of FIG. 1 can include a plain shirtsurface, with rear panel 130 including incorporated arcuate portions 132and 134 making up for omission of arcuate stitch panel portions 54 and56 on the equivalent configuration of FIG. 3. Side panels 40 areillustrated, configured to be joined to the exposed, inner curvature ofthe arcuate stitch pattern portions 50 and 52 of FIG. 2 connected to thefront panel and the arcuate sides presented by arcuate portions 132 and134 of rear panel 130.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary interior of the shirt of FIG. 1,illustrating seams joining an arcuate stitch pattern portion to adjacentpanel portions. Arcuate stitch pattern portion 10 is illustrated, sewnto each of front panel 20 and side panel 40 by seams 212 and 214,respectively. Seams 212 and 214 can include any seam known in the sewingart. In the particular embodiment of FIG. 5, the stitch pattern 216 onarcuate stitch pattern portion 10 includes embroidered stitches, whichare known to include threading on the back of the portion matching orsimilar to the embroidered pattern on the front of the portion.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary alternative interior of the shirt ofFIG. 1, illustrating a smooth panel sewn over a back side of an arcuatestitch pattern portion. FIG. 6 illustrates an optional step or optionalconstruction of the shirt of FIG. 5. A rear stitch pattern of anembroidered design can include scratchy or otherwise irritating stitcheson the inside of the shirt. A smooth panel 310 can be sewn over the backside of the arcuate stitch pattern portion, thereby covering thepotentially irritating stitches formed on the inside of the shirt.Exemplary seams 312 and 314 are illustrated connecting the smooth panel310 to the seams connecting the arcuate stitch pattern portion to frontpanel 20 and side panel 40. Seams 312 and 314 can be sewn at a same timeas seams 212 and 214 of FIG. 5, seams 312 and 314 can be sewn at a latertime as seams 212 and 214, or seams 312 and 314 can be sewn ahead oftime, with the arcuate stitch pattern portion and the smooth panel 310being pre-joined prior to be being joined to the other panels.

FIG. 7 photographically illustrates a first embodiment of a shirtincluding a pair of arcuate stitch pattern portions. The stitch pattersof FIG. 7 are embroidered according to one exemplary configuration ofthe disclosure. FIG. 8 photographically illustrates an exemplaryinterior of a shirt, illustrating seams joining an arcuate stitchpattern portion to adjacent panel portions. FIG. 9 illustrates anexemplary alternative interior of a shirt, illustrating a smooth panelsewn over a back side of an arcuate stitch pattern portion.

FIG. 10 photographically illustrates a second embodiment of a shirtincluding a pair of arcuate stitch pattern portions, illustrating a moredense stitch pattern as compared to the shirt of FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary tee shirt with a decorative raisedpattern sewn directly upon the shirt. Shirt 1000 is illustratedincluding decorative raised patterns 1010 and 1012 providing a baseballtheme upon the shirt. Shirt 1000 is configured for an exemplary femalewearer. Decorative raised patterns 1010 and 1012 are configured topresent an hourglass shape presented upon a front surface of thegarment. The hourglass shape includes a first wide section 1018corresponding to a hip portion of the garment, a second wide section1014 corresponding to an arm portion of the garment, and a narrowsection 1016 corresponding to a midriff portion of the garment. It willbe appreciated that the particular shape of the shirt can change fordifferent sizes of garment while maintaining an hourglass/baseballstitch coordination theme exemplified by shirt 1000.

It will be appreciated that a similar shirt and similar decorativeraised pattern can be utilized with a unisex or male shirt with astraight shirt profile.

Particular stitch patterns and decorative arrangements are provided on anumber of exemplary garments. The provided patterns and arrangements areprovided as examples, and the disclosure is not intended to be limitedto the particular examples provided.

The disclosure has described certain preferred embodiments andmodifications of those embodiments. Further modifications andalterations may occur to others upon reading and understanding thespecification. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not belimited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as the best modecontemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosurewill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A decorative sports-themed garment comprising a shirt, the garmentcomprising: a surface of the garment comprising one of a front surfaceof the garment and a rear surface of the garment; and a decorativeraised pattern upon the surface configured to appear like stitches on abaseball, the decorative raised pattern comprising an hourglass shapeupon the surface of the garment, the hourglass shape comprising: a firstwide section corresponding to a hip portion of the garment; a secondwide section corresponding to an arm portion of the garment; and anarrow section corresponding to a midriff portion of the garment.
 2. Thegarment of claim 1, further comprising: a front panel of the garmentcomprising two arcuate vertical side sections matching the hourglassshape; a pair of arcuate stitch pattern portions each comprising half ofthe decorative raised pattern, the pair of arcuate stitch patternportions each joined to one of the two arcuate vertical side sections.3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the decorative raised patterncomprises a segment of cord sewn to the garment.
 4. The garment of claim1, wherein the decorative raised pattern comprises embroidered stitches.5. The garment of claim 1, wherein the decorative raised patterncomprises puffy paint.
 6. The garment of claim 1, wherein the decorativeraised pattern comprises a polymerized inset.
 7. The garment of claim 1,wherein the surface of the garment comprises the front surface of thegarment; and further comprising: a second decorative raised pattern uponthe rear surface configured to appear like the stitches on the baseball,the decorative raised pattern comprising a second hourglass shape uponthe rear surface of the garment, the second hourglass shape comprising:a third wide section corresponding to the hip portion of the garment; afourth wide section corresponding to the arm portion of the garment; anda second narrow section corresponding to the midriff portion of thegarment.
 8. The garment of claim 7, further comprising: a rear panel ofthe garment comprising two additional arcuate vertical side sectionsmatching the second hourglass shape; a second pair of arcuate stitchpattern portions each comprising half of the second decorative raisedpattern joined to the two additional arcuate vertical side sections ofthe rear panel.
 9. A decorative sports-themed garment comprising ashirt, the garment comprising: a front panel of the garment comprisingtwo arcuate vertical side sections forming an hourglass shapecomprising: a first wide section corresponding to a hip portion of thegarment; a second wide section corresponding to an arm portion of thegarment; and a narrow section corresponding to a midriff portion of thegarment; two arcuate stitch pattern portions, each joined to one the twoarcuate vertical side sections and the two arcuate stitch patternportions together matching the hourglass shape, each of the arcuatestitch pattern portions comprising a raised stitch pattern configured toimitate stitches on a baseball.
 10. The garment of claim 9, furthercomprising: a rear panel of the garment comprising two additionalarcuate vertical side sections forming a second hourglass shapecomprising: a third wide section corresponding to the hip portion of thegarment; a fourth wide section corresponding to the arm portion of thegarment; and a second narrow section corresponding to the midriffportion of the garment; two additional arcuate stitch pattern portions,each joined to one the two arcuate vertical side sections of the rearpanel and the two additional arcuate stitch pattern portions togethermatching the second hourglass shape, each of the additional arcuatestitch pattern portions comprising a second raised stitch patternconfigured to imitate stitches on the baseball.
 11. A decorativesports-themed garment comprising a shirt, the garment comprising: a rearpanel of the garment comprising two arcuate vertical side sectionsforming an hourglass shape comprising: a first wide sectioncorresponding to a hip portion of the garment; a second wide sectioncorresponding to an arm portion of the garment; and a narrow sectioncorresponding to a midriff portion of the garment; two arcuate stitchpattern portions, each joined to one the two arcuate vertical sidesections and the two arcuate stitch pattern portions together matchingthe hourglass shape, each of the arcuate stitch pattern portionscomprising a raised stitch pattern configured to imitate stitches on abaseball.